The concept behind VDI is not new. However, as with many forms of technology, the market demand determines the development of a platform. Over the last 20 years, the concept has generally been realised through Remote Desktop Services (RDS) with some larger companies adopting more specialist platforms such as Citrix.
Each of these platforms has its pros and cons, however, in the case of systems such as Citrix, the cost was a major deciding factor behind company adoption. The general trend was that companies would deploy either a fully on-premise solution with traditional workstations/laptops or a hybrid of “VDI” services and traditional infrastructure.
The Shift to Infrastructure As A Service
The age of “As a Service” has developed at pace over the last 10 years. Early on “Software as a Service” became attractive to organisations that didn’t want to manage and maintain their software systems and licences. A smaller monthly fee became a budget-friendly option.
Other “As a Service” platforms are now in the market, and this is where VDI is making a resurgence. “Infrastructure as a Service” makes the running of complex systems more readily available without the need to house and maintain the hardware on-premise.
Within the last 5 years, the uptake of VDI has increased. This is in addition to the traditional use of RDS based platforms. As organisations have become more global and dispersed, so has the need to consolidate environments. Communication methods have developed such as Skype, Zoom and Teams. The Windows operating system now demands much greater computing power than five years ago and therefore full VDI desktops have increased in their resource requirements.
Within the last 12 months, the demand for VDI has grown even further. Due to the pandemic, organisations have been forced to disperse and subsequently, this has caused decision-makers to look at their business practices to determine if they are being run efficiently. Many companies have not been able to “lift and shift” their environments to remote locations such a staff homes and therefore rely on remote access tools directly into end-user workstations. In many ways, this has formed a pseudo-VDI infrastructure and companies have been operating in this manner for the last year or so.
Questions To Ask When Looking For A Provider
Organisations are turning their eyes to the benefits of VDI and the new ways that staff are working. Below are key areas that need to be considered when looking for a VDI provider:
Does the provider offer a proof-of-concept service to test the platform?
Where is the data located?
How is the data secured?
How is the environment secured, physically and virtually?
What methods are used for data protection, business continuity and disaster recovery?
How is the system managed, are there options for co-management?
Can the platform be housed in-house?
Will the back-end hardware be upgraded as new technology becomes available? For example, improving the GPU capabilities on the servers?
Backups and archiving? Is this included in the cost?
Is it possible to run a hybrid environment and migrate users over a period of months to VDI?
What happens with any current hardware? Can it be repurposed?
How environmentally friendly is the solution being suggested?
Will the provider assist with viability assessments?
Are the administrators trained in the maintenance of the system?
Summary
Making the move to VDI is a key decision for organisations. It’s important to look ahead and plan for the next few years, taking into consideration operational benefits, cost, and security.
Get in touch with us if you want to make sure you are clear on the options you face. Finding the right partner is as important as finding the right system.
